Three Game 7s up. Two to go.
Saturday, May 4 marked the second-to-last day of what has been one of the greatest first rounds in NBA history. The 2014 playoffs have featured unpredictable upsets, road team brilliance and scares for some of the top championship contenders.
Here’s everything that you need to know about the first slate of Game 7s.
1. Kevin Durant scored 33 points on 5-of-5 shooting from distance and Russell Westbrook went off for 27 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Marc Gasol scored 24 points and Mike Conley had 20, but Memphis fell short.
Westbrook joins Oscar Robertson and Chris Paul as the only players in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a playoff game.
2. Westbrook is the first player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a Game 7.
3. Paul George erupted for 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Atlanta Hawks 92-80 in Game 7. Lance Stephenson added 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and Roy Hibbert finally showed up with 13 points, seven boards and five blocks to lead Indiana to the win.
Atlanta set an NBA-record for 3-point field goal attempts in a playoff game with 44, but only converted 30.4 percent of its total field goals.
4. The win was Indiana’s first as a franchise in a Game 7.
5. Four separate players recorded at least 20 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 126-121 escape of the Golden State Warriors. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 24 points and Chris Paul tallied 22 points, 14 assists and four steals, while Stephen Curry had 33 and Draymond Green posted 24 for Golden State.
The 247 combined points scored by L.A. and Golden State were the most in a Game 7 since 1971.
Bonus Fact: According to NBA.com, Westbrook joins Rajon Rondo as the only players in league history to record a triple-double in multiple Game 7s.